Can I get a U.S. visa?
10,097 U.S. visas were issued to people from Sri Lanka in the last 12 months, mostly B1/B2 (visitor – business or tourism), C1/D (transit and crew member), F1 (academic student). Here are the numbers that matter before you apply.
10,097 in the 12 months to February 2026. Month by month for Sri Lanka · by fiscal year since 1997.
About 67% of visitor (B) visa applications from Sri Lanka were approved in FY2025. See the refusal rate page.
Visitor visa: wait about 2 months at Colombo. Student visa: about 1 month at Colombo. All embassies in Sri Lanka.
These are group numbers from the U.S. Department of State. They cannot tell what will happen to one person. Unofficial; not legal advice.
Yes. 10,097 U.S. nonimmigrant visas were issued to people from Sri Lanka in the 12 months up to February 2026, most of them B1/B2 (visitor – business or tourism), C1/D (transit and crew member), F1 (academic student). Whether one person gets a visa depends on their own case: the officer decides at the interview.
The State Department's adjusted refusal rate for visitor (B) visas for Sri Lanka was about 33.35% in FY2025, so about 67% were approved. This is a group figure and cannot tell what will happen to you.
At the shortest-wait U.S. embassy or consulate in Sri Lanka (Colombo), the typical wait for a visitor visa interview is about 2 months, and for students about 1 month (Colombo). The State Department updates these numbers monthly; real dates change every day.